Barry Sanders inspired millions with his brilliance on the gridiron during his Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Lions. Now, the legendary NFL running back is hoping to inspire others once again, albeit in an entirely different way.
Last June, Sanders publicly announced that he had suffered a heart-related “health scare” during Father’s Day weekend. Sanders, 56, recently shared during a one-on-one interview with CBS Sports that he had suffered a heart attack while attending a recruiting visit for his son.
“I couldn’t believe it, honestly,” said Sanders, who shared his experience in “The Making of a Heart Attack,” which will premier on Saturday, June 14 at 1 p.m. on A&E. “I thought it was like heartburn, but it just kind of persisted.”
Sanders woke up that morning with what he described as a burning sensation in his chest. After leaving the recruiting visit early, Sanders drove himself to the emergency room later that afternoon. Tests revealed that Sanders’ enzyme levels were “really high and getting higher.” He then underwent a heart catheter procedure, which revealed that he had indeed suffered a heart attack.
“Of all things, I don’t know why, that just never entered my mind,” Sanders said. “I’m learning through this process that there aren’t necessarily any warning signs, unless you do what we’re encouraging people to do, which is to go the doctor, get tested for LDLC levels, or bad cholesterol. That’s the only way to find out if you have high cholesterol. It’s not something you’re going to be able to feel. You don’t have to fit a certain physical profile.”
Sanders opens up in the documentary about his experience as he brings together four other people who experienced a heart attack or stroke to uncover the hidden risks, lasting impacts and what they want others to know.
“It’s really been an education, for me, learning about how frequent this happens all over the U.S.,” Sanders said. “Conversing with these other individuals who are part of this documentary who have very insightful, gripping stories about the journey that they’ve been on. It’s just really amazing. I think it will get a lot of people’s attention.”
Nearly a year removed from his heart attack, Sanders — who is encouraging people to visit attackheartdisease.com/test — said that his health has improved. He attributes that to taking his doctor’s advice which includes medications, dietary changes, additional walking, etc.
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“It’s definitely made me healthier and happier,” Sanders said. “Being the kind of athlete that I was, I would see people walking and I would wonder, like, ‘What kind of workout is that?’ But there’s a thing called a heart healthy workout, where you’re just getting your heart rate up a little bit over a certain period of time, and that’s just really good for your heart. There was just a certain ignorance that I had about things like that. But all of it has been a learning process.”
Sanders stressed that, while others have stories similar to his, everyone’s situation is different when it comes to heart health.
“Sometimes it’s hereditary and it’s not like you’re doing anything wrong,” Sanders said. “There’s a lot of different stories and examples out there. That’s why it’s important for people to have that conversation with their doctor.”
Along with becoming an advocate for heart health, Sanders’ health scare also led to another unexpected experience, which was the overwhelming support that he received from his fans.
“I have great appreciation for it,” Sanders said. “Really warmed my heart, the response from fans, to know that that many fans cared that much and cared in that way about how I was doing, what I was going through. It meant a lot to me.”
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